A vaudeville song-and-dance man and...

SAMMY DAVIS SR., 87,

May 23, 1988

LOS ANGELES — SAMMY DAVIS SR., 87, a vaudeville song-and-dance man and father of entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., died Saturday at his home. Davis, born in Wilmington, N.C., began a 40-year career in New York by winning a series of dance contests. He joined the Will Maston Trio after World War I and went on to appear in vaudeville, on stage and in posh nightclubs. He played Fletcher Henderson in the 1955 film The Benny Goodman Story and appeared on television with such stars as Steve Allen, Eddie Cantor, Milton Berle and Jack Benny. His last television performance was in 1973 with his son on a General Electric special. Davis also is survived by daughters Ramona James of New York and Suzette Davis of Portland, Ore.; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.